Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1887-05-04


are welcome to all the men they can get
by these tactics. The minute q man de-
clares against prohibition, they denounce
him as a drupkard, a purchased villain
and saloon man, no matter what his
character is. The minute man declares
for their side, no matter If he is a con-
tirmed sot, he becomes an angel. This
character of campaigning may be consist
ent with latter-day Christian charity, but
won't take to any alarming extent with
the people of Texas.
CHURCH AND STATE.
There may be no danger Of union OF
church and state, but there are some pc
CuliaTities in this campaign worth the
consideration of every student Of history.
The prohibition campaign is opened and
organized at Waco by a convention
called by a prominent minis
ter and largely composed of ministers,
white and black. The most of the meet
ings subsequent thereto were managed by
ministers Of certain churches. We find
these churches, at their conferences, re-
solving to take hand, as churches, in a
political fight, all on one side. Now
these and other well known facts must
lead every man to believe that we have
practically union of church and state,
and all that is necessary to complete it is
a statute saying how much of the revenue
shall go to the church. Why, the very
amendment they are fighting Tor allows
them to use wine in their religious cere-
monies, but don't allow a free born
Texan to raise his own grapes to make
his own wine for export or his own use.
This discrimination in favor of the
church and against individual freedom
would have made Jefferson or Patrick
Henry's hair stand on end.
believe in religious liberty and in civil
liberty, but have no hesitationin saying
that whenever a conflict is brought on be-
| tween the two, that l will be found on
the side of civil liberty.
Judge Ferris, whose moral character is
equal to that of any man in Texas, is cor
rect when he says that some Of the
churches and all the temperance societies
and Kindred organizations in Texas have
been turned into political societies.
l see from the papers that some of eur
public schools, which are supported by
taxation on people of all sorts of political
and religious faiths, are being used to
help along q party supporting one side
of a purely political question. The chill
dren in school hours were invited by 8
teacher to 60 and hear, not temperance
or a moral lecture, but prohibition
speech. These things are dangerous to
civil liberty, for there is vast difference
between moral influences dominating 8
government and denominational OF
church combinations controlling it.
THE AMENDMENT.
Leave out all questions of principle 8!
affecting free government and individual
manhood; let Us see if the amendment as
piece of legislation commends itself tt
the judgment and patriotism of thu
people. The Prohibitionists claim the
Farmers Alliance and knights of Labor
yet these organizations are formed for the
purpose of advancing their material in
terests, and not to aid any particulG
} religious or political organization, and i
seems to me that the amendment itself i
in direct COntraVentiOn Of the openly
declared principles of both these
: organizations.
MONOPOLY.
l. In the first place this amendment
creates giant monopoly by transferring
the liquor business to the doctors anC
druggists of Texas and the thousand
that may come here and enter into the
business made so much more profitable
by reason of the monopoly created.
2. In the second place it discriminate
in favor of the rich man against the poo,
man, for every honest and intelligen
Prohibitionist, be he lawyer or not, will
admit that under this amendment an,
man with money can import all the liquo
of any kind that he wants, but man witt
spare dime must go to the town puml
J or the branch to slake his thirst.
IN no Mo IN
permits every man to import ad libitum
but permits no man to make wine for hi
: own use or to export, and this, consider
ing the millions already invested in i
, and the special adsptability of Texas sol
} and climate to vine culture, is fearful dis
| examination against our own state. Nearl
the entire World-even the prohibition
state of Georgia-uses, and will eontinu
to use, wine unrestricted by law, and
is harmless as a beverage. Why should
: our people be denied the inalienabIe RICH
of making it?
J 4. 1t says to the man who earns hi
money by the sweat of his brow in small
: daily wages, you are not capable of spend
ing your money properly. We won't re
strict the man who has plenty, made BY
lucky speCulations, but you we will tax
IN tow and dictate to. This is the wors
species, and most dangerous of class leg
lslation and insulting to honest poverty
and the dignity of American laborers.
3. The heavy agricultural counties il
North Texas already pay into schoo
funds twice as much as they draw out
and now you ask them to vote for Law
that will be despised and disregarded b.
the people of certain sections of the
l state, who have their none,
5 invested in beer and wine in
terests, and who care nothing for whisk,
2 and saloons, but who use thos
harmless beverages as we use tea au(
coffee. If you force those people t.
obey such q law North NeXas must rule
Southern Texas as England does Ireland
: and the farming and other industrial in
/ fterests here must furnish the necessary
! constabulary and pay the increased taxes
About all the farmer gets out of whisky
7 (for we don't drink much of it, is tn
million dollar revenue which will unde
/ this amendment go into the pockets of s
) favored class instead of into the treasury
If the amendment proposed to banisl